Anthony Bondain

The Best Articles of the Week: the dollar is broken, AI hasn't killed browsers, and the return of feudalism

This week, Les Beaux Articles takes you to a world where the dollar is losing its bearings, US bonds are no longer obeying anyone, and the economy is turning absurd in the hushed salons of the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, web browsers are being resurrected, AI is starting to lie and code with "vibes".

06 June 2025 at 06:35 pm AEST

Economy: how important are blue-collar workers in the US (and elsewhere)?

Make Manufacturing Great Again… The MAGA movement is pushing for the return of industrial production to the United States. To achieve this, it will be necessary to reverse a trend that has been firmly established in recent years: the peak of industry across the Atlantic celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2023! But what is the weight of manufacturing labor in US employment?

02 June 2025 at 11:48 pm AEST

The Best Articles of the Week: pizza, plutocrats, oil, peplum

While AI forgets its own lines of code and Microsoft builds an "agent factory," Apple is struggling to get off the ground. Meanwhile, the US is flirting with the Republican precipice akin to Ancient Rome, while China builds a fortress. Fortunately, we still have ultra-capitalist socialist Sweden, and CEOs who are in love but borderline…

23 May 2025 at 11:36 pm AEST

Huge bribes: US sues three insurers for Medicare fraud

A major scandal is rocking the US health insurance industry. The Department of Justice is accusing three heavyweights—CVS Health (via Aetna), Elevance Health, and Humana—of orchestrating a vast kickback scheme with brokers to steer patients toward their Medicare Advantage plans, to the detriment of competitors and policyholders themselves.

02 May 2025 at 06:22 pm AEST

The weekly roundup: Russian grocery stores in China, SUV and mobile phone matters and accidental Trump texts

This week's press review plunges us into an odyssey ranging from the bizarre to strategic, where Trump texts his war plans while amber is manufactured in 24 hours. Wall Street is rocking to the rhythm of conspiracy theories and shaky bets, while China installs Russian grocery stores as its new weapons of influence. We also deal with a medical mystery in Montchavin, discuss existential questions about SUVs and mobile phones, and accidental texts from the Trump administration.

28 March 2025 at 11:38 pm AEDT

How to profit from the rise in Chinese equities?

China's equity markets are back in favor, following a series of measures announced by Beijing to revive faltering growth. Here's a reminder of how the Chinese stock market - or rather, Chinese stock markets - work, and a list of some ETFs that replicate the performance of the main indices. So, how does the stock market work in China? What's the difference between stocks listed in Hong Kong and Shanghai? Why are there "A shares" and "N shares"? Let's find out.

26 September 2024 at 07:10 pm AEST

This week's top stories: Dirty water, crazy EVs and lousy ETFs

Lots of articles on ETFs this week: why they're so popular, who's selling them when everyone's buying, and why thematic ETFs often underperform... Outside the financial sphere, you'll find stories about overflowing milk, a wild ballet of autonomous vehicles, the tennis of the future, and a complete guide to swimming in polluted rivers.

06 September 2024 at 07:26 pm AEST

A lost decade for Reckitt Benckiser

By losing 15% in a single session last Friday, Reckitt Benckiser was back where it was 10 years ago. Shares lost ground in each of the last three years. The coupons mitigate shareholder disappointment a little, and bring average annual performance down to the level of inflation. It's not much.

21 March 2024 at 01:17 am AEDT

Improbable portfolios: investing in stylish tickers

Having explored a totally inept investment strategy based on funny stock names - inept but more effective than indexes - let's get down to some much more serious business with a portfolio composed entirely of evocative tickers. Some pretty, some well-found and even some dirty. So let's get to FIZZ, BOOM, WOOF and co.

08 September 2023 at 12:29 am AEST

Renewi plc: a small cosmopolitan recycler

The British company renewi, which is emerging from a difficult period, is firmly established in Europe in the world of waste treatment and recycling.

01 August 2023 at 07:02 pm AEST

Vitrolife AB (publ) : A pioneer in in vitro fertilization

Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, the Swedish group is one of the few listed companies operating in the assisted reproduction market.

26 July 2023 at 05:53 pm AEST

Microsoft, a rejuvenation cure based on artificial intelligence

The tech giant, which often is generally considered less innovative than its Californian neighbors, has taken the world by storm with a bold bet on AI.

27 April 2023 at 12:23 am AEST

Strange times

These are not fun times. Under the veneer of macroeconomic stats that, while deteriorating, are not so bad, we can clearly see that a lot of things are going wrong behind the scenes. Without government support, the situation would be much more complicated. Hence this rather curious atmosphere.

08 September 2022 at 02:18 am AEST

Finding the tipping point

Today is a busy day for investors, with public speeches by central bankers, important economic statistics and several earnings reports from large companies. Yesterday, Wall Street suffered at the end of the session, divided between the continuation of an opportunistic rebound, disappointing economic data in China and, to a lesser extent, in the United States.

18 May 2022 at 12:29 am AEST

Should you buy on the cannons?

Investors are regaining their appetite for risk by buying stocks in the hope of a ceasefire in Ukraine, after a round of talks described as positive yesterday by both sides. In general, one should "buy on the cannons, sell on the trumpets". But the old stock market adage is struggling to find its place in the current context.

31 March 2022 at 12:00 am AEDT

The glass is half-full

Green continues to dominate equity markets, more concerned with post-correction buybacks than with cautionary signals from some parts of the economy. So today, I propose to confront some arguments in a list that includes Margareth Thatcher, the Fed, Beijing, Ukraine and an anvil.

30 March 2022 at 12:14 am AEDT

Wall Street opens lower as investors worry about Ukraine and stagflation

Wall Street starts in the red, hampered by tech giants as investors weigh the consequences of the Fed's hawkish turn and the effects of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

24 March 2022 at 02:13 am AEDT

Bulls are back

The (good) results published by companies, coupled with an ambitious outlook, have contributed to making investors forget their troubles after a failed start to the year. In other words, profits have taken precedence over inflationary fears, less generous monetary policies and tensions in Eastern Europe. Between Alphabet's results last night and the meeting of two of Europe's central banks tomorrow, I offer a collection of financial stereotypes in times of stock market tension.

03 February 2022 at 01:51 am AEDT

Today on Wall Street: Need help?

Wall Street fell back yesterday, especially technology stocks, while waiting for the US central bank's verdict on its monetary policy this evening. Europe held up better and is heading for a good opening this morning, after the results of Microsoft or Texas Instruments. But volatility remains high and the content of the Fed's speech this evening will be of great importance for the financial world.

27 January 2022 at 02:13 am AEDT

On your marks...

The year starts with a new wave of coronavirus, stock market indices at their highest and investors who pretend to be cautious but are still hot on the inside. The fear of missing out (FOMO) and the lack of an investment more exciting than stocks (TINA) still look stronger than Covid and inflation fears.

04 January 2022 at 01:16 am AEDT

Today on Wall Street: Backlash

Wednesday's excellent reception of a more austere monetary policy by the Fed was reversed yesterday in the United States, via technology stocks. While investors are balancing between too much inflation and a return to monetary orthodoxy, other asset classes are shaking without breaking their recent limits. The dollar is down a bit, gold is up a tad and bond yields are stagnant.

18 December 2021 at 01:08 am AEDT